The present invention relates to battery adapters and, specifically, to adapters for permitting a small size rechargeable battery to be used in applications where it is electrically acceptable but is too small dimensionally.
Battery adapters have been known for some time but generally have been intended for use with nonstandard size batteries. Particularly, this known type of adapter has been intended for use with those rechargeable batteries known as "sub-C" cells. Such adapters are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,684,583 and 4,037,026. These prior art adapters typically have been characterized by a complicated configuration of internal struts and support members necessary to capture and to support the cell and also by a mechanically complex electrical contact which is needed in order to make electrical contact at the standard dimensional points typical of the battery size being simulated.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,969,148 by the present inventor relates to an adapter that is intended to be used with conventional size batteries other than the nonstandard "sub-C" cell size. This adapter has proven to be a commercially successful idea, however, various drawbacks in manufacturing and production have been found, not the least of which is the manner in which the electrical contact must be made when adapting an AA size cell to a D size cell application.